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TORCH BEARER: Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale, holding the ANC's centenary torch, gave a memorial lecture on former ANC president Dr AB Xuma in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, June 2012. PHOTO: ALON SKUY

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• Controversy around Sexwale's trip to Eastern Cape

Delivering a Nelson Mandela lecturer at the City Hall last night, Sexwale delved into the leadership debate, highlighting the leadership of the celebrated former president and its interpretation.

Criticising factionalism, Sexwale said Mandela had a magnetism that saw him becoming the centre of attraction and a “rallying point of his people” – something that appears to be lacking in current leadership.

“The opposite to the magnetism of Mandela now rings true. It is the downfall of many people whose style and content of leadership is essentially that of sowing disunity. Such political leaders, contrary to being magnets that attract people, are destructive and can best be described as political grenades,” he said.

“Put such leaders amongst people, they always split them. Not so with Madiba and the leadership-collective of his celebrated generation, all of whom were driven by a sense of constant willingness and readiness to serve the people, not for divisive, monetary, corruptive, selfish, sectarian and factional interests.

“A leader must hold its people together. Ask yourself on which side of this road you stand.”

The minister – who was also scheduled to headline memorial site visits throughout the metro – had to wait as the leadership tussles in the Bay played themselves out with issues arising around the organisation of the memorial site visits.

The site visits, however, were postponed to today due to “unforeseen challenges” around the joint participation of “critical stakeholders”.

“There were certain challenges in organisation between the metro and the ANC, and I was waiting for them to resolve,” Sexwale said.

During the lecture, Sexwale said it was important for political leaders to take out of Mandela’s book and interpret his leadership teachings and apply them.

“It is totally pointless today to recite the name Mandela, inserting him in very sentence that we speak, seeking his autographs and photographs when little or no heed is taken of his teachings, when one has not understood the quality of his message of unity and non-racialism within the ranks of his movement and most importantly, amongst the citizens of the country he so loves,” he said.

“To what extent have we embraced his values of selflessness, sense of justice and courageousness, particularly in the face of unbridled abuse of power by those we have elected into positions of trust, who have conveniently forgotten that they are servants and not masters of the people?”

He said leaders should strive to lead “from the front”, where they would the first to see threats and opportunities, but simultaneously remaining close enough to the people to “stay in touch”.

“The challenge in this regard is the constant management of this critical distance between the leadership and the people,” he said.

“A wise leader, having identified threats or opportunities should anticipate that in the report-back interaction with the people, one is likely to be met with mainly three possible scenarios: those who will agree with your assessment, those opposed to it and those who are undecided.

"A leader should expect to be booed before being wooed, to be jeered before being cheered. Therein lies the strength and effectiveness of a leader."

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Sun May 19 06:22:49 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 26, 2012

DJWinner

Sexwale must get used to it that he will never be the President. He is not qualified. He can go join FRIENDS OF MALEMA party.

The struggle continues for Zuma's second term in our life time.
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Jul 26, 2012

Pointman

Twaddle - you helped create the mess by not sticking to principles the revolution was based on. By supporting Malema who is a divisive figure, you displayed a lack of understanding of leadership and abandoned the peoples renewal after apartheid to narrow party and personal interests.
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Jul 26, 2012

cornelius

Again, just paying lip service. His reference to a " political grenade" exactly describes Julius Malema, yet Tokyo is the one who is championing the cause of Malema ( of course it is to gain the support of the YL).
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Jul 26, 2012

Sinudeity_

ABANC.
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Jul 26, 2012

Sane1

WHO IS HE? IS HE NOT A LEADER TOO? WHICH & WHERE ARE THESE LEADERS HE'S TALKING ABOUT? MR SEXWALE IS AN OPPORTUNISTS OF NOTE. WHAT A HYPOCRITE!!!
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Jul 26, 2012

Sinudeity_

During Mbeki's term, 80% of ALL government tenders went to two dudes:

Cyril and Tokyo.
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Jul 26, 2012

CheeseBoy

Tokyo YOU ARE part of this leadership. you ARE equally to blame for what is happening to this country
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Jul 26, 2012

Lehido

Look who is talking - You are part of the problem
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Jul 26, 2012

lamolath

Good Morning

We all know that Tokyo is talking about Jacob Zuma's leadership and of which he is right..I cannot think of any promise that he made to the nation and fullfill it..all that he is doing is to embrace what other leader has done for the yet he is not doing anything for us.

Nna go bua nnete Jacob Zuma wa Ntena...Ge e le Gwede yena is worse.Second term for Jacob Zuma is going to be good for Kwazulu Natal. Nkandla and other rural areas of natal are going to benefit a lot as it will be obvious that he won't do the third term.

Mangaung e batla di Thapelo


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Jul 26, 2012

DJWinner

@lamolath...This is not about KZN. All provinces are given money. It's just that in other provinces, like Limpopo, the money is mismanaged. We can't blame Zuma for that.
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